"I don't want to be negative, no, but I hate, I hate that, 'not regular players.' What [does it] mean? It's USA playing, it's the national team. Stop with that mindset. Every time that our decision is about to pick a starting XI, it's the U.S. men's national team playing,"
"I hate to talk in this way. It's so disrespectful. It's so disrespectful because I think we need to give credit to all the guys...what I really, really appreciate from the team, for the roster and for all the staff, is in the way that we start to connect together, and that is the most important thing."
"I am really, really happy, because the reality is much better [than] what you think. Much, much better. Before, it was much, much different. It was completely different."
"Of course, there is still a lot of work to do, but I think it's about to keep believing, it's to keep pushing."
Mauricio Pochettino lambasted the label 'not regular players' after an alternate U.S. lineup defeated Uruguay 5-1, marking the first time the United States scored five against a World Cup winner or any South American side. Pochettino insisted that any chosen starting XI represents the U.S. men's national team and called the phrase disrespectful while praising the players, roster and staff for connecting. Several marquee players, including Christian Pulisic, Chris Richards, Tim Weah, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie, were absent due to injuries or club situations. Pochettino said no roster spot for 2026 is safe, expressed satisfaction with progress, and emphasized continued work and belief.
Read at ESPN.com
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